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Clarke Ponders Tory Leader Race


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Guest Lottie

Mr Clarke has twice failed to become party leader.

Former chancellor Ken Clarke has said he is considering whether to run for the Conservative Party leadership.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he would listen to colleagues' advice and make up his mind "in due course".

Outgoing Tory leader Michael Howard has said at 63 he would be too old to lead the party at the next election.

But Mr Clarke, who has failed on two previous occasions to become party leader, said he did not feel he was too old for the top job himself at 64.

"I have not heard Michael Howard express an opinion about my age," he said. "My view is you're as old as you feel."

Rule change?

The MP for Rushcliffe lost out to William Hague in the 1997 leadership contest and to Iain Duncan Smith four years later.

KENNETH CLARKE

Born July 1940

MP for Rushcliffe since 1970

Health Secretary 1988-90

Education Secretary 1990-92

Home Secretary 1992-93

Chancellor 1993-97

Leadership bids 1997 and 2001

Today interview

BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue said Mr Clarke's pro-European views had hampered efforts to become party leader in the past.

But his prospects could be boosted by possible changes to the Tory leadership selection system, which currently sees party members having the final say on two candidates chosen by MPs.

In 2001, Mr Clarke had beaten Mr Iain Duncan Smith in the initial ballot by MPs, said Mr O'Donoghue.

Improving prospects

Mr Clarke said he expected a "consensus" will form during the summer on potential leaders.

"When the new members of parliament have all got to know each other, I think it will be fairly clear what sort of candidate they are looking for," he added.

Mr Clarke said there were several factors that would determine whether he would stand for party leader.

"How far people are advising me not to stand, and how far people are advising me to stand.

"And also what is emerging by way of how the Conservative Party is going to pitch itself in this Parliament to make itself more attractive as an alternative government, improving prospects of winning next time."

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  • warden

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I don't care who the Tories' next leader is, because he'll be ousted again when they lose the 2009 or 2010 General Election.

Edited by Blackleaf
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oh please let himn in lol

tories goin backwards

i love it haha

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Oh God, no.

Not Portillo. If he became Prime Minister, I'd probably hang myself.

When he was kicked out of his constituency in the 1997 General Election, I thought it was the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. That look on his face was hilarious. And everyone in the polling station, as the results were being announced, laughed as his middle name was read out - Xavier.

And that moment that showed him losing his seat was ranked Number 3 in the list of Britain's best ever TV moments.

Edited by Blackleaf
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And in the 8 years he has been sitting learning from his mistakes and ploting his next move

He could suprise every one yes.gif

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And in the 8 years he has been sitting learning from his mistakes and ploting his next move

He could suprise every one yes.gif

624707[/snapback]

Hey.. Warden, remember the winter of 79 under labour, when Hospitals turend donw the heating and Grave diggers left the dead 6ft higher than the should have been because if the dispute with the Unions...

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I find it quiet remarkable that people on this board(and we know which ones) keep reminding us about peoples mistakes they have done in the past.

I have always found in life ,if you make a mistake you learn from it so you dont do the same in the future

Remember 92,remember89,we all remember even the ones that made mistakes when in the torie party remember,do you think if they got elected they would make the same mistake twice.

What about Blunket?he made a mistake with tax payers money ,lied to the public about it and resinged........Blair has took him back because like i said you are allowed to make mistakes in life as long as you own up to them and learn from them

I wonder when Blair will own up to misleading the british public over the iraq war,say he is sorry learn from his mistakes and learn from it ..NEVER unlike the rest who have made mistakes in the past ans learned from them Blair has not going to own up to his so how the hell can he learn from them

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Guest Lottie
Hey.. Warden, remember the winter of 79 under labour, when Hospitals turend donw the heating and Grave diggers left the dead 6ft higher than the should have been because if the dispute with the Unions...

624946[/snapback]

The Labour goverment now is entirely different to the Labour goverment back then. In fact I don't even know why they are still called Labour when its so obviously Tory influenced anyway.

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So we are now blaiming the tories about labour being different to how they were? as for tax payers money Warden who was held accountable for the Millenium wheel c*** up? doid any one get removed from office and how many big figure bonuses did the Millenium Wheels company directors get for running with a Labour c*** up.

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Guest Lottie
So we are now blaiming the tories about labour being different to how they were? as for tax payers money Warden who was held accountable for the Millenium wheel c*** up? doid any one get removed from office and how many big figure bonuses did the Millenium Wheels company directors get for running with a Labour c*** up.

625614[/snapback]

I am not blaming anyone neither was my post. It was just an observation.

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Thats the thing about MPs they always throw the blame onto some one else or some thing else,if only they would own up to their mistakes and learn from them it would make them more human-like and it might get more people interested in politics

We can have a good old tit for tat on this board and when one of us gets some thing wrong we usually apologize right away with egg on our face,maybe about time polititions learned from us a wee bit, tongue.gif

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I hope Redwwod gives it a miss,he would be a disaster for the tories,every time i see that mans face its like he has just come out of the toilets after a 30 session with George Micheal tongue.gif

May be he has w00t.gif

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